December 14, 1999 - A blood bank may bring new hope to patients waiting for bone marrow transplants. The Midwest's first public "cord blood bank" has opened in Minnesota. American Red Cross nurses will collect the blood from the placenta and umbilical cords from babies born at Fairview-University Medical Center in Minneapolis .
December 14, 1999 - The Hungry Mind, Saint Paul's nationally known bookseller, literary review, and press is looking for a new name. The Hungry Mind sold its name to a cyber-university earlier this fall, and needs a new one before April, 2000. In this age of branding, trademarks, and electronic commerce the task of coming up with something as potent as what it's had for the past 29 years is a challenge.
November 19, 1999 - Mediation talks appear to have broken down between the State of Minnesota, Minneapolis Public Schools, and the Minneapolis branch of the NAACP.
November 12, 1999 - The Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning has unveiled a crisis management plan it's offering all school districts across the state. The plan comes as response to requirements set out by the legislature. But it's also a reaction to the worst school shooting in the nations's history.
November 4, 1999 - The City of Burnsville and the Minnesota Wild hockey team have announced plans to build an amphitheater along the Minnesota River. The Black Dog Amphitheater is one of four proposed amphitheaters in the metro area. Burnsville and Minnesota Wild officials say, if approved, their amphitheater might be the first to open in the Twin Cities area.
November 3, 1999 - People from countries along Africa's north east coast make up one of Minnesota's fastest growing populations. Most are from Somalia, but a small percentage is from Ethiopia. The newcomers depend on Ethiopians who've been here for a while for traditional goods and services. One place they often go first is a grocery store on Cedar Avenue in Minneapolis.
November 2, 1999 - MPR’s Lynette Nyman reports on the 5th National Hmong Conference being held in downtown Minneapolis, where social service advocates look to prevent violence by keeping Hmong kids out of gangs. They say parents are the key and want to them more involved in their kids lives. But for some Hmong teens, independence from families is the attraction of a gang --especially for girls.
October 22, 1999 - MPR’s Lynette Nyman presents short profile of Former U.S. Senator Eugene McCarthy. Includes clip of listener commentary on McCarthy.
October 14, 1999 - Governor Ventura's chief spokesperson says he's trying to repair the bad relations between the local news media and the Governor. Speaking today before journalism students in Saint Paul, John Wodele said there is friction, but still believes Minnesotans are getting the information they need to stay informed about Ventura's policy positions.
October 7, 1999 - The results are in for the first in a two-part, state-wide compliance check of liquor stores. Twenty-five percent of the liquor stores checked sold alcohol to minors. MOf the 166 liquor stores Minnesota's Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division checked, 42 sold alcohol to someone under twenty-one years old. The AGED, an arm of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, trained police and sheriff's departments around the state to conduct the compliance checks. AGED trainer Tom Ludford is a retired state patrol officer.